SAKUMA Ayumi

While “oshi-katsu” (activities supporting one’s favorites) has been reported to increase positive emotions among younger generations, its prevalence and impact on the feeling that life is worth living among elderly people have not been sufficiently examined. This study aimed to clarify the relation between oshi-katsu and the feeling that life is worth among elderly people by conducting an online survey targeting seniors nationwide. Responses from two groups were analyzed: those engaged in oshi-katsu (n=480) and those not engaged (n=500). The results indicated that although the perceived positive impact of oshi-katsu on social aspects such as interpersonal relationships and social activities was limited, more than two-thirds of participants reported positive effects on psychological aspects, including feelings of fulfillment and happiness. Furthermore, scores for “feeling that life is worth living” and its subscales, including “desire for self-realization,” “sense of life fulfillment” and “will to live” were significantly higher in the oshi-katsu group compared to the non-participating group. These findings suggest that oshi-katsu among elderly people may contribute to enhanced awareness of fulfillment and an increased feeling that life is worth living.

With the recent widespread use of social networking services (SNS), non-face-to-face communication has become increasingly common among younger generations, including university students. This study aimed to clarify the relation between university students’ face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions and their subjective well-being. An online survey was conducted targeting university students nationwide, and the responses were analyzed based on three categories of interaction partners: close friends at the same university (n=340), classmates at the same university (n=347) and friends outside the university (n=353). The results indicated that both face-to-face communication and text-based non-face-to-face communication were primarily used with close friends and classmates at the same university, as well as with friends outside the university. Subjective well-being tended to be higher among students who interacted more frequently and tended to be lower lower among those who interacted less frequently. This relation was consistent for both face-to-face and text-based non-face-to-face communication. These findings suggest that text-based non-face-to-face communication may contribute to subjective well-being in a manner similar to face-to-face communication.

This study aimed to review existing literature on the psychological burden, including ethical dilemmas, and the quality of care experienced by nurses working in palliative care wards under various restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, to elucidate their characteristics, and to identify implications for the future direction of nursing practice. Literature searches were conducted using the Ichushi-Web (Japan Medical Abstracts Society) and PubMed, and four domestic studies and one international study published since 2019 were included in the analysis. The findings revealed that nurses faced significant work-related and psychological burdens, such as difficulties in building relationships with patients’ families, increased responsibility for information provision, and role conflicts under visitation restrictions. Conversely, despite these constraints, care practices aimed at maintaining patient dignity and preserving connections between patients and their families were implemented, suggesting that the essence and quality of palliative care were sustained in modified forms.